Q My antique Chinese lacquer box has a cracked lid and chipped edges. Is there anyone in Hong Kong who can repair it for me? Is this something I could do myself?
WHAT THE EXPERT SAYS: 'It's not too difficult to do the smaller jobs yourself,' says Josephine Chan, who has been restoring lacquer, paintings, ivory, mother of pearl and more for over 20 years. 'But you must be very patient and concentrate on the tiniest details.'
It's probably best to leave the complicated restoration of prized pieces to an expert. Chan explains how she learned the craft: 'I worked with a company that made reproductions, so I practised copying originals. When dealers saw I could paint, they commissioned me to work for them. Before, there were well-known restoration experts, but they were very expensive. So we decided to charge less.'
Entirely self-taught, Chan does not know of any restoration courses in Hong Kong. 'Most antiques shops have someone on staff to do restoration,' she says. 'Research is very important, especially to learn what kind of materials I should use. In books, there's often only a small mention of restoration, but I spend a lot of time reading about it.'
LEARNING EXPERIENCE
Chan also picks up pointers from past projects and recalls one, a big box for ornaments or blankets, made in China for export in the 18th century. 'The lid was cracked, the lacquer chipped off,' she says. 'So I had to glue it together and touch it up. We use traditional methods to restore the lacquer. There are different methods, so I have to see how it was done on the piece. Sometimes cloth was used in the lacquering process, sometimes not.'
The restoration of a lacquer box would require the same basic steps. First, Chan cleans the piece. 'Water could cause further damage, even cracking. I use alcohol or wine, the traditional method,' she says. 'Some forms of straight alcohol are too strong and may turn the piece white. Wine absorbs very well. Rice wine, or any kind of wine, is okay. I apply it with a cloth in a buffing motion.'